The Fool has learned many lessons on the way to the World
The Fool on his path to the World endures much. Some joys, some pains, some ecstasy and some misery. Through it all, he is learning the lessons that will eventually lead to his enlightenment.
Enlightenment means to know the true nature of all things. This means knowing the true nature of your own feelings, your emotions, what motivates and what triggers you. It also means to know the true nature of nature itself and how the self fits into the grand scheme of it all. It means to understand the motivations of others and to understand why they act the way they do and why they do the things they do.
When you understand these things, when you see the truth about these things, you no longer take any of it personally. You accept what is without judgment. This is a very Stoic way to see the world. People are what they are. You are what you are. Nature is what nature is. Suffering comes from trying to change it when it cannot be changed. Change what you can change and adapt to the parameters of what you cannot. When you do, suffering comes to an end. When suffering comes to an end, you are enlightened. You are that Fool who has reached the World. — Jim Larsen
The World Tarot Card: Putting The Pieces of Yourself Together
What is the World card about in tarot? For one, it is about life’s journey. If life is a journey, a karmic scavenger hunt, then the World card means you have found the pieces you have set out to find and it is time to put the pieces together. What does the picture reveal?
It is different for everybody, of course. It reveals a picture of your truth. This is who you truly are. You have filled in the gaps and connected A to B to C… questions to answers present themselves. This is your picture. It reveals what you must see, not what somebody else must see, only you. What does this picture tell you? Is there more traveling to do, or is it time to sit for a time? Is the picture a blueprint or a map? — Jim Larsen
The World Tarot Card: What to do when you have done it all
Some people live long enough- and they might not even be that old- to have nothing more they need to do. Whatever karma they were working on is taken care of, whatever their Personal Enlightenment they were working towards has been reached, and there is really nothing left for them that is crucial or vital. They reach this point, but there is still years stretched out ahead of them to get through. What then? Then they can do just about anything they feel like. Create whatever legacy they can. On the Fool’s Path, they have reached The World.
Having reached The World, they may not experience the excitement of discovery that they once did. When they could sense the presence of their spirit guides nudging them in the right direction, and when they could hear voices whispering or maybe even shouting to them about to them about their life direction, and when they were acutely aware of the many synchronicities that have served as guideposts pointing them in the direction they need to be headed in, then life was exciting because they knew their life was going somewhere, and arriving there would be exciting.
But once they accomplish what it is that they incarnated to achieve and they no longer receive the voices, synchronicities, and nudges, they may get bored with life. Things might not be so exciting anymore. They may feel like that’s that. That’s everything. What else is there? They may feel like where once everything had a purpose and meaning and was leading them somewhere, now they have done it. They are just living and just existing. It’s not that life has lost its meaning, it is more that it lost its excitement. This is it. They’ve reached the end of the road and now there’s nothing left to do but sit there. You can call this Post-Enlightenment Blues. It is time to make their own fun and their own excitement, but without the sense of a deeper, more spiritual significance purpose attached to it, it may not be as fulfilling as the journey that got them to the end of the road in the first place. It may feel that way, anyway.
The reality is though, even if it feels like there is nothing left to achieve, there is always more. To reach the World means to arrive at new plateaus and new vistas. It is as if they have graduated, and once graduated, they are meant for new and different life missions. It means to take the wisdom and knowledge that they have amassed on their journey and apply it to the growth of others and the continued growth of others. Those that are still on their journey towards the World, it is up to the Fool that has reached the world to be a beacon for them to follow. Be a voice. Be a synchronicity. Be a Hierophant and teach them how to hear and how to see what is on their path that is meant to he;p them on their way.
When a Fool is experiencing this Post Enlightenment Blues, they need to simply stop and take a deep breath. They need to remember what they have learned about life on their journey to the World and apply the lessons they have learned. They need to think about what would have helped them understand the path and the things were finding on it and what it all meant, and ponder what they would have liked somebody to have told them that would have helped them along. Once they have pondered that, share it with others that they see is on a similar or on the same path as they were on.
Nothing is ever over for a Fool. There will always be that next thing to learn and that next thing to share with others. It’s just the initial excitement that can wear off sometimes. When the voices stop whispering to you, just remember, it’s because you got the message. Those voices where there to nudge you on your journey and keep you on the right track. Once that mission has been accomplished, they fade back and let you enjoy the journey on your own merits. They woke you up, and now you are awake.
Waking up is always an exciting and life changing experience. Once awakened, you will not fall back to sleep. Once awakened, everything takes on a deeper and more profound meaning. Coincidences become synchronicities, and voices mean you are being nudged along your path towards your Personal Enlightenment. Once you reach the World, why wouldn’t you want to share this experience with others? Tell others of your journey that they may appreciate their’s all the more. —Jim Larsen
The World Tarot Card: The importance of flexibility
The world card of tarot reminds us that the realization of a goal or a dream may not look or feel as we may imagine it will when we first start off in pursuit of a dream. We tell ourselves what we expect from the realization of it. The journey towards this realization can create shifts and changes along the way that alters the original vision of the actualization of the goal. It is a good idea to set a goal with a loose idea of what the actualization of it looks like.
Have a firm idea, yes, of what you want o achieve, but be flexible to incorporate changes and new information. There may actually be a number of alterations to what you finally arrive at. Will you be disappointed if it is not precisely what you first concocted in your mind? Don’t let it be, for as you embark on the journey towards the goal, the goal itself perfects itself beyond what you knew of it at the start.
This is more than just achieving a goal, this is about achieving perfection. You have been through all trials and errors and have figured it out. Now you know. You know from personal experience which is far greater than simple book learning or hearing about it from somebody else’s experience of it. The world means you have arrived. You have it figured out. What was once mysterious is now common knowledge. What once perplexed you, you now fully comprehend. And you achieved this by being flexible. You have conquered the world of tarot.
You have come a long ways on your journey. Now keep going.
The World Tarot Card
The world card in tarot denotes accumulation. When considered sequentially, pay attention to the fact that it is the final card. If life is a journey, if the purpose of life is to learn and to grow, if we look at life as a series of destinations and plateaus to be reached, then when the world card comes up in a reading it is meaningful to consider it as achievement. It denotes that you have arrived. Your goals have been achieved. Pat yourself on the back and reflect on the journey. Go over the ups and downs and the highs and the lows. What brought you to this point in life? Sometimes it was easy and sometimes it was difficult. Sometimes the lessons were obvious, other times not. Be that as it may be though, they are what brought you to where you are so it was all good.
We search. We know we are meant for something. Sometimes though, we ask, “What exactly would that be? What exactly am I meant for?” And so we seek an answer to this very profound yet basic question. We try things. We examine things. We figure out what exactly feels right to us and then we compare. We decide what is truly meaningful and important to us. If we are wise, we realize the answer and we latch onto it. We nurture it. We make it grow. This feels right to us. This is our purpose. This is a big reason why we are here. Pay attention to this. What in your life truly feels right and perfect? The world card invites you to examine and appreciate this.
There is satisfaction in achieving a goal. These goals are not arbitrary. They do, in so many ways, define who we are. These goals are our passions. They exist in our heart. They are attached to our soul. We dedicate ourselves to it. We strive and we work for it. And then… at last… we achieve it. It is an accumulation of effort and simple dedication. Now, we can enjoy the results of these efforts. Now we have shifted our own personal paradigm. Now, we are not defined as somebody “trying” but as somebody who has “achieved.” This achievement gives us a new sense of solid ground to stand on. We now have a firm foundation. From this new plateau, where will we go next? Based on our successes, what is next?
With the world card, we are ready for the next journey. It is time to take the success, wisdom, and knowledge we have amassed and go in a new direction with it. Considered sequentially, it is time to begin again at zero. It is time to be a fool again. We are stronger, wiser and more powerful. Our leaps of faith are more calculated and thought through. What direction does our heart tell us to go now? It is time to listen and follow. When the world comes up in a reading, consider this.
The World Tarot Card: It is time for a new leap of faith
You do see how far you have come, don’t you? You have traveled so far down life’s path. You have amassed so much strength, wisdom, knowledge. What once seemed mysterious and frightening is now commonplace and normal. You have learned so much, done so much and seen so much that clearly, you are ready for a new chapter to begin. It is time to take all that you have gained and amassed and do something new with it. It is time to start a new journey. It is time for a brand new leap of faith. It is time to begin anew. Gather the courage, and go. You are the master of your own universe. Now expand it.
